The Private Dancer Job
by Falcons-Tears
Summary: Eliot has to go undercover as a stripper. At first the team thinks his annoyance is funny, but they soon learn that there's more to it than meets the eye and suddenly things go very wrong and the team has to fight hard or they'll lose their Hitter, SLASH (Nate/Eliot and maybe more)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everybody *pokes head in carefully* I really, really shouldn't be posting this and you'll probably hate me for starting another story, but my muse was pretty insistent *sighs*

This is the stripper!Eliot fic I mentioned, even though it's turning out a little different than I imagined *sigh*

I promise that I'm working on new chapters for all my other Leverage fics and Leverage crossover fics too, so I hope you're not too mad at me *puppy dog eyes* *hides behind Eliot*

So yeah, I really hope you enjoy this none the less and reviews are of course very, very welcome *smiles*

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**Summary:** Eliot has to go undercover as a stripper. At first the team thinks his annoyance is funny, but they soon learn that there's more to it than meets the eye and suddenly things go very wrong and the team has to fight hard or they'll lose their Hitter, SLASH (Nate/Eliot and maybe more)

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**Warnings: SLASH Nate/Eliot established relationship (please read the A/N II at the end about this), slight non-con (only mentioned), nudity and strippers... I'll probably add some more as the story progresses, just that you're warned...**

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**Disclaimer: **None of the Leverage characters belong to me and I just borrowed them for this little story... this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...

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**The Private Dancer Job**

**Chapter 1**

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"You are aware that I'm going to be very mad when I get back, right?"

Eliot's annoyed drawl came over the coms and Nate and Hardison, who were back at their hotel room suite that doubled as a headquarter during their newest case, looked at each other, not sure what to make of this kind of off-hand comment. Parker was off doing surveillance on the right hand man of their mark and Sophie was with Eliot.

"Yes," Nate finally answered warily, not sure where this was going.

"And you also know what I like to do when I'm angry and there are no bad guys for me to beat up?" Eliot added, his voice even deeper than usual, a sure sign that yes, he was indeed angry.

"You throw knives at targets," Hardison answered, even though he really didn't want to give that answer. Eliot's first reaction was a deep, dangerous chuckle, before he spoke again.

"And now guess who the targets are going to be this time."

Nate and Hardison looked at each other and both made a mental note to stay invisible to the Hitter for a while. They both knew that Parker and Sophie were safe, since Eliot was too much of a gentleman to ever attack a woman unless she attacked him first.

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Deep down they both also knew that Eliot was only joking and was trying to scare them a little to get revenge for putting him in the position he found himself in right now. But it had been the only way to get an in on this case. Nevertheless it didn't hurt to ask just to be sure, so Nate did the deed.

He questioned carefully: "You're not really mad, are you, El?"

He had used the nickname for his lover on purpose to get an honest answer, but he didn't get any answer in the first place, well at least not from Eliot, who only growled for a second.

Sophie, who was with him as his sort-of-manager to sell the con, finally took pity on them and gave an answer.

"Well, Nate, maybe he isn't serious about actually coming after you with his knives, but he's pretty insistent that you're not getting laid in the next days," she answered and Nate could practically hear the sadistic grin in her voice. She had taken it in stride when Nate and Eliot had finally admitted to her that they were lovers, but she occasionally enjoyed tormenting and teasing them about it a bit. And Nate swallowed a little. Eliot threatening him with the lack of sex was way worse than the Hitter coming after them with his knives. At least then death would be quick and painless, but having to watch and and unable to touch Eliot was torture, plain and simple, especially with the nature of this case. And even Hardison took pity on him, because he came to his aid.

"Come on Eliot, you know that we didn't have another in," he started and Nathan quickly took over.

"And Eliot, just for the record, I really don't like that other men get to look at you half-naked, but as Hardison said, we didn't have another option," he told him in an attempt to pacify his irate lover.

The only answer he got was another snort and then they heard some shuffling and rustling, probably Eliot pulling the sweater he had worn when they had left the hotel to go to the club, over his head to reveal the tight fitting shirt he wore and normally wouldn't be seen dead in.

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"You shouldn't take this personally, man," Hardison added, scratching the back of his head.

"If I weren't needed on the computers then I would have gone," the Hacker explained, not serious in the least, because no, he really wouldn't have wanted to play the role in the con that Eliot was playing now. But he really, really wanted Eliot pacified, because he still feared the knives and maybe something else he had sometimes fantasized about and what had lately seemed a remote possibility.

But he also still had a smirk on his face, because Eliot couldn't see him, so he felt safe and he looked forward to mock Eliot just a little if the other man was still mad at him when he returned, because he wouldn't make things worse then.

"Wipe that smug grin off your face, Hardison, or I'll smash your hard drive once I'm home," Eliot's now more than annoyed sounding voice came through the coms and Alec's eyes widened a little and he again wondered when he had become an open book for Eliot Spencer to read, even when the other man wasn't in the same room. This time it was Nate who came to his aid and put a calming hand on Hardison's shoulder, before he talked to Eliot again.

"El, please don't make this any more difficult than it already is. I know you're uncomfortable with this and I don't blame you, but you also know what's at stake if we don't succeed," he said softly, using the voice he normally only used when he talked about his dead son. And Nathan knew that it was unfair to use Eliot's emotions as blackmail, but they couldn't risk him backing down at the last minute or screw it up, because he was too mad to play his part properly.

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The team had taken a big risk and they had deliberately not told him what exactly his part of the con was until it was too late for any of the other members of the team to take over and so they had made sure that he had to do this. But slowly they all began to understand that this might have been a mistake and Nathan had the distinct feeling that there was much more to Eliot's flat out refusal to do this than simple annoyance at having to do this and Nate made a mental note to talk to Eliot about this when he got back tonight. He was determined to get the real reason out of him, no matter if he was threatened with knives again. He hated the thought that he had hurt his lover with this.

Nate's words were met with silence and the man sighed. He had to live with a grumpy Eliot now and it would take a long while until the Hitter would forgive him for putting him into this position, how long, well that depended on what Eliot hadn't told him...

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Nathan realized that he wouldn't get an answer to this from Eliot any time soon and since he didn't want to make the Hitter even angrier, he decided to get back on a little safer territory and talk about the con, addressing Sophie and Eliot this time.

"Hardison has hacked the security cameras in Marcheda's office, so we can see everything. Where are you?"

"We're on our way to Marcheda's office and should be there in two or three minutes. You know that he wants to meet every new dancer personally to make a final decision," Sophie answered.

"More like inspect the merchandise," Hardison murmured quietly. That was one of the reasons why the Leverage team found themselves in this city.

In Luca Marcheda's club seven of his employees, all male dancers, had disappeared n the last two years. No one had really made a connection between the disappearance, well until their clients that was. Mr. and Mrs. Leech had turned up at their office, a letter from their missing son in their hands. It was a call for help, telling them that he had been kidnapped and was about to be sold to the highest bidder soon. So the team really was on borrowed time and they had needed an in. And so, since Eliot had, for a few weird reasons, fit Marcheda's hiring criteria and was the one to most likely be able to defend himself should anyone attempt to kidnap him, Parker had made sure that his application with the fake history Hardison had created, had landed on top of all the others on Marcheda's desk. And the man had been very enthusiastic when he'd called them back only a few hours after Parker had planted the file.

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So here they were, hoping that Eliot would be able to pull off this part of the con and that he wouldn't back out at the last second. And Nate, Hardison, Parker and Sophie were very well aware that he was only doing this, because he didn't want to let innocent people suffer only to spare his own dignity. So yeah, Eliot bitched about it and Nate knew that he'd be the one to suffer the wrath of his lover, but Eliot was going to go through with it, if Marcheda liked what Eliot had to offer. And that was the biggest hurdle right now, because Eliot was going to have to pretend to be a dancer and not just any dancer, no, Eliot Spencer had to pretend to be a stripper...

And when Sophie and Eliot entered Marcheda's office, the team didn't know how many old wounds this con would reopen for Eliot and that they would have to be on their best game not to lose their Hitter...

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to be continued, if you're interested *smiles shyly*

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**A/N II: **Well, yeah, so here it is, the Magic-Mike-inspired story and once again it has turned out way differently than I imagined and it's going to be a lot darker than I wanted it to be... but still, it has stripper!Eliot, so I guess that's worth something.

I'm sorry that the first chapter is so short, but it's a test if you're going to like it. So comments would be most appreciated...

**And oh yeah, **I'm toying with the idea to not only keep it Nate/Eliot, but turn it into a Nate/Eliot/Hardison for various reasons (one of them my best friend pestering me to write that threesome), but I haven't decided yet, so I'd really like your opinion on that too *smiles*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow, I honestly didn't think you'd like the story this much, but I'm really, really happy that you did *smiles brightly*

Well, so, as you might have guessed, here comes the second chapter and there are a few things I need to say: I hope it's not too confusing, because I refer to Eliot with his undercover name, whenever we're more in the mind of the bad guy and Eliot when the POV is more general. So yeah, I hope it doesn't sound too awkward.

And one thing I learned from this chapter: I really suck at trying to write Eliot dancing sexily. Honestly I tried my best and again, I hope it doesn't sound too awkward and you will like it at least a little.

And I also hope it doesn't break any rules for this site and comments would be most appreciated.

So yeah, enough of my babbling now. Have fun reading *smiles* *goes to hide now*

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Thank you to **SivanShemesh, Jesco123, jacitr, cool, Quiet Ryter, dh2930 (**I'm happy that you enjoy the backstory of this too and not only the stripper!Eliot aspect and you'll slowly learn why Eliot was so reluctant to take that job *smiles secretively* And don't worry, Eliot won't let the team off the hook for conning him again *g*)**, Twinchy **(Yeah, Eliot would never let an innocent suffer and that's what I love about this character so much, all those layers hidden underneath the rough exterior *smiles* And of course the team will protect their hitter, they're a team after all *smiles* Well, they will try to protect him. If they manage, you'll have to wait and see *evil grin*)**, ILoveAnime89, lynny, stellaru **(I'm not sure either, if the N/E/H threesome is a good fit for this story, but for now I'll keep my options open)**, fro-chan **(Ob ich die Dynamik mit Hardison wirklich mache, weiß ich noch nicht, aber ich hoffe, dass du die Story liest, egal wie es ausgeht *smiles*)**, BetahimeTsukiko, crazy4tv and baerana1** for all your kind words *hugs you all* It means so much to me to read your feedback *smiles*

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**Warnings: ****SLASH Nate/Eliot established relationship, slight non-con (only mentioned), nudity and strippers... I'll probably add some more as the story progresses, just that you're warned...**

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**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage characters belong to me and I just borrowed them for this little story... this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...

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* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

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"Okay, the security camera in the office is in my hands now and we can see everything that's going on in there. Marcheda is waiting for you, obviously re-reading Eliot's file again."

Hardison's words came over the earbuds, but Eliot didn't even bother to reply anymore. Yes, he would play his part in the con, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He pulled on the too tight button-down-shirt that stretched over his torso, even a hint of his nipples visible, and which confined his arms a little uncomfortable and Eliot tried his best to widen it at least a little, but the silky material didn't budge even an inch. He felt really uncomfortable in the satin shirt and if he had been allowed to shop for his outfit, he would have looked a lot different than he did now. His jeans were tight, way too tight in certain places and showed off way more than Eliot was comfortable with, but Sophie had insisted that this was the right look for this situation. And as much as Eliot hated to admit it, she was probably right about that. But again, that didn't mean he had to like it. The way his hair framed his freshly shaven face, he looked way younger than he normally did. But that would probably help to sell his part of the con, no matter how uncomfortable it made him, especially when unbidden memories crept into his mind and Eliot had to fight real hard to keep them down, because he didn't need them for this job.

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They stopped in front of Marcheda's office and Sophie shot him a short look.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her accent for the con already in place. Eliot simply shrugged.

"It's not as if I have a choice," he answered curtly and let her know that he was still pissed off at all of them for putting him in this situation without really asking. Sophie understood, because she swallowed once and murmured a "sorry", something she seldom did, before she knocked on Marcheda's office door. Eliot only had seconds to slip into his role as "Liam", a broke, young man, who didn't have much family left and who needed this job. And Sophie played her role as Miss Colridge, a rich woman, who had way too much time on her hands and her fingers in a few illegal doings and she would act as sort of a manager for Liam.

"Let the games begin and I really hope you know what you're getting into here, Nate," Eliot murmured, before he followed Sophie into the office, where they would be Miss Melissa Colridge and Liam for however long it would take to bring down Marcheda.

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* * *

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Luca Marcheda sat in the comfortable chair in his office, papers in front of his desk, some he needed to sign urgently. But right now he didn't even spare them a glance. Instead he re-read the file in his hands for about the hundredth time since he had read it yesterday for the first time. He really was going to enjoy this one, especially if what was written on that file was only half-true and the pictures weren't photo-shopped too much then the new guy, Liam, would be the next big hit and Marcheda didn't necessarily mean only the club, but his very lucrative side-business too.

There was a knock on the door and Luca put the file aside. He plastered the false smile he always wore, when he dealt with new clients, on his face and answered the knock with a "come in". A beautiful woman entered first, she was the "manager" and if Marcheda was interested in woman, he'd certainly try his luck with her.

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But all those thoughts were forgotten as soon as Liam, as he was called in the file, a fake name for sure in Luca's book, entered the room and the smile on his face wasn't faked anymore. He stood up and walked around his desk, greeting Sophie first.

"Miss Colridge, I presume? I'm Luca Marcheda. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," he said, voice full of fake pleasantries. Sophie would have rolled her eyes if she could have, but even though Marcheda had his eyes mostly on Eliot, she didn't dare to fall out of her role. So she shook the offered hand without hesitation, a charming smile in place on her face.

"Mr. Macheda, it's nice of you to see us on such short notice," she replied and Marcheda had the decency to look at her for a second, before his full attention returned back to Eliot, who stood a little in the background to portray his role better. He knew that Marched was probably wondering what exactly the nature of Liam's and Melissa Colridge's relationship was, but he really didn't look like he cared about it. All the sleazy club manager cared about, that Liam soon wouldn't be Miss Colridge's problem much longer.

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The man swallowed and took a step back, smiling pleasantly at Eliot, who gave a small smile on his own in return, again selling the part, even though he would have loved nothing more than punch a few of those bleached white teeth out of Marcheda's mouth. But as it was he couldn't do that right now. If he, however, had had any idea what the man was thinking right now, he would have done it anyway.

"It's also a pleasure to meet you, Liam. From your file you look like you might be a very good addition for my club," Luca said in greeting, not forgetting what the purpose of this meeting was officially.

But still, Marcheda's eyes were roaming over Eliot. The younger man had immediately awoken his interest and his eyes lingered on Liam's neck for a moment, his mind running away with the image how good the other would look with his collar around his neck, kneeling at his feet and he was pretty sure that Marcheda had finally found the one he would keep for himself. Eliot, who felt uncomfortable and allowed it to show for the con, had no idea of Marcheda's thoughts and that was probably better for now.

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Luca shook his head slightly to get rid of all those images and daydreams. He had to appear professional and harmless and bide his time or Liam might actually run or cause trouble for him and his little side-business. Marcheda was pretty good at reading people, he had to be in his job, and he had already realized that even though Liam appeared to be timid and laid-back. He had detected a quiet resolve and strength that couldn't be hidden, but that only made it that much more interesting for Luca. Men like Liam were so much fun to break.

He coughed a little to get himself back into the game. He had an interview to do after all. And no matter how informal his interviews normally were, there were still certain things he needed to see before he could hire anyone, no matter if he was considered for his second job or only for really working in his club. He had a reputation to uphold after all, in both his businesses.

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Marcheda fixed his eyes on Eliot again, wolfish grin on his face.

"But even though your file looks very promising, I, of course, need to see if you can really compete with my other dancers before I can hire you," he said, smug smile now on full force. Eliot looked a bit uncomfortable and Luca wondered what that was about, especially when Sophie, still in her role as Miss Colridge, looked a little worried. Marcheda let his eyes travel between the two and he was about to repeat his request, but this time make it clear that it was more of a command than a request, when Liam sighed and nodded slowly.

"Of course Mr. Marcheda," the younger man told him, speaking up for the first time since they had entered the room, his voice rough and smooth at the same time and Luca's trousers were suddenly a little tighter than they had been before and he discreetly adjusted his stance while Liam looked at his female companion. The woman smiled back encouragingly at him and that looked as if it was enough for Liam to lose his reservations. Again Marcheda wondered a little what that was all about, but frankly, seconds later he didn't care about that anymore, because Liam began his show.

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Eliot, no matter how much he really didn't want to do this, knew he had to do it and he knew he had to make it a good show or he wouldn't be hired. So he closed his eyes briefly, imagining that he was in his and Nate's shared bedroom and was doing this for his lover to tease him and to drive him wild with lust for him. The Hitter took a few steps into the middle of the room so that he had enough space, but was still far enough away from Marched so that the other wouldn't touch him unexpectedly. Then he got ready to perform to a beat his mind supplied him with.

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Eliot began with a sinuous roll of his hips, hands caressing his torso, as if he was enjoying the feeling of silk under his fingers, tracing the outline of his nipples, eyes on Marcheda all the time. He simply shimmied his hips, knowing what kind of effect the play of his muscles visible through the silk covering him had on other people. He licked his lips, slowly and deliberately before he started to unbutton his shirt slowly button for button, pausing only to give Luca a cocky, seductive smile.

The slow, sure, swaying of his hips continued, while he gently let his shirt fall down his arms, revealing the bare skin of his torso, all smooth and glistening with a little sweat since it was very warm in Marcheda's office. He flexed his arms, muscles rippling, giving a hint of what he could do if he put his mind to it. Then Eliot shrugged off his shirt completely, throwing it carelessly aside. He once again ran his hands down his now bare torso, teasing his nipples for just a second, which hardened instantly. His eyes never left Marcheda and so he could see that Luca swallowed dryly. A smug smile tugged on Eliot's lips, his eyes promising much more than the men watching him would ever get, an illusion Liam's future audience would love.

Eliot then slowly started to turn around, presenting his back towards him, grinding his ass out as if he was moving against someone, slowly pulling the leather belt out of the beltloops of his jeans, he had unbuckled it while he had turned. When he had pulled it out, he ran the leather belt between his legs once, caressing the inside of his jeans-clad thighs, before the belt joined his shirt on the floor.

He gave Luca a look over his shoulder and Marcheda didn't even try to hide his own erection now, especially when Eliot turned back towards him, one hand wandering down his stomach again to meet the other hand that was slowly unfastening the button and the zipper of the way too tight jeans, hooking two fingers into beltloops, pulling the jeans open and down a little, revealing silk briefs underneath, not hiding much, but enough. It was a nice little image of what was going to come once the last garment fell.

Eliot once again turned his back towards Luca, flexing his arms, showing the muscles of his back working, as well as flexing his thighs, again a promise of what those thighs could do. Another roll of his hips and then he reached back, a hand gliding over one ass cheek, before smacking it lightly, the smack echoing in the near silent room, which also made Luca startle a little. He licked his lips, his eyes never once leaving Eliot. The man had the grace of a panther, dark and dangerous, but still deliciously sexy.

Eliot gave another roll of his hips, turning his head over his shoulder, winking at Marcheda. Then he slowly pulled the jeans down over his ass, before he simply let it slide down his legs, gracefully stepping out of them, standing in front of Luca and Sophie now in tight, silky briefs, he had toed off his shoes without anybody really noticing, winking at Marcheda again, before raising his leg and, by executing a perfect round-house kick, he made one full turn in the air, giving Marcheda a perfect view of all those delicious muscles as they worked at once and then he landed steady on his feet facing them again, hooking his fingers into the waistband of the briefs and Marcheda licked his lips, anticipating and looking forward immensely to what was going to come next and he couldn't wait to see all that glorious flesh revealed.

.

But as abruptly as Eliot had started, he stopped, hands on his hips, glaring at Marcheda, all hints of insecurity gone, obviously still full of adrenaline from the performance he had just given.

"And that's all the show you're going to get for free. If you wanna see everything and what else I can do with the right props, then you need to hire me," he said, voice a low, still seductive growl, barely out of breath after that little performance. Marcheda swallowed harshly, while Eliot .

"Consider yourself hired," Luca told him, his voice rough with lust and if Sophie, or Miss Colridge, wouldn't have been in the room, he might have made a move on the other man already, but as it was, he knew he had to be professional. He clapped his hands together in glee, hiding his disappointment that Eliot was nearly fully dressed again.

"You're going to be a marvelous success," Marcheda mused and he really didn't mean only dancing at the club. Again a wolfish grin came over his face, when he asked: "When can you start?"

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* * *

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"Okay, that was a little too good."

Hardison still stared at the screen where he had just witnessed Eliot performing as if he had never done anything else. Sure, he had known that Eliot was graceful in everything he did, but that... well... he really hadn't expected that. Sophie hadn't either, if her flushed face was any indication, not that Hardison did blame her.

And Nate, who stood behind him, eyes fixed on the surveillance monitor, couldn't agree more with the young hacker.

Eliot's performance had been almost flawless and absolutely captivating and Nathan's trousers were a little too tight right now. But Nate didn't really mind that. He had that right when his boyfriend did things like this. What unnerved him, however, was, that Marcheda's eyes had been glued to Eliot for the whole performance. Sure, that had been the whole point, but that didn't mean Nathan had to like that. He was, and he had finally admitted that to himself, a very possessive man and seeing someone else freely ogling Eliot's assets, while the other was only wearing way too tight underpants, was making him more than a little jealous.

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He ran a hand through his hair and he really needed to talk to Eliot once he and Sophie were back and apologize for making him do that and then stake his claim, so that Eliot knew without a doubt, who he belonged to.

Nate's thoughts were interrupted when Hardison shifted in his chair and he chuckled a little, when the other man tried to hide his own erection. Again, Nate didn't blame him, not after that. He knew that the other man had a crush on Eliot, but he had never given it much thought since Eliot didn't seem to have any idea that that was the case and so Nate didn't waste time thinking about it right now, especially when they saw Eliot leaning over Marcheda's desk to sign the contract, deliberately teasing the other man with the way he was positioned. Then they saw Marcheda and Sophie shake hands and then Eliot and Marcheda, a handshake that lingered too long for Nate's taste and then the two left the office and Nate managed to breathe a little easier.

"Looks like we're in," Hardison said, looking at Nate with a grin and Nate nodded, but he didn't say anything else. He was already making plans for the coming days, wondering what exactly they had gotten into... and more important how they were going to get out again...

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to be continued

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Okay, I hope it wasn't half as bad as I think it was and you enjoyed reading still want to read more... *sheepish smile* *goes back into hideout now to avoid any flying objects aka rotten tomatoes*


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: ***pokes head in carefully* *looks around* Hey everybody *waves* I'm still alive and I'm really sorry that I've been gone so long, but I needed a little time off for various personal reasons that I don't want to bore you with. And I probably should take some more time to recover, but I couldn't stay away from writing anymore...

I simply hope you can forgive me and are still interested in reading this and all my other stories and I hope you enjoy the new chapter and your comments are, as always, appreciated and would make my day *smiles shyly*

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Thank you to **krazylicious, Jesco123, floralisette, Quiet Ryter, Twinchy, SivanShemesh, Guest and darkmoonlady** for all your kind words for the last chapter *hugs you all* Your reviews always make my day *smiles*

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**Warnings: SLASH Nate/Eliot established relationship, slight non-con (only mentioned), nudity and strippers... I'll probably add some more as the story progresses, just that you're warned...**

.

**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage characters belong to me and I just borrowed them for this little story... this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...

.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

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Sophie took a deep and calming breath when they exited Marcheda's office. She needed that to collect herself. Sure, they had been successful with their con, but because of what Eliot had demonstrated in there, she had been a little flushed. It had been hot and arousing, Sophie could admit that, at least to herself. And the walk to the car gave her enough time to calm herself and also recover from Marcheda's sleazy behavior that hadn't exactly helped things.

But now, that they were sitting in their rental car, a limousine of course, the Grifter chose to look at Eliot again, something she hadn't been able to do before, because she had feared she might blush or worse. Seeing, however, how tense Eliot looked and taking in the closed off expression on the Hitter's face, Sophie, for the first time, noticed that something was not right. She raised her hand to put it on Eliot's shoulder, but before she could even make contact, Eliot growled, a deep, dangerous rumble: "Don't touch me right now, Sophie, because if you do, then I might hurt you."

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Sophie pulled her hand back against her chest as if she had been slapped. Eliot had never said anything like that to her before, well maybe he had, but she had never taken it serious, but right now, she wasn't so sure if Eliot wouldn't follow through with his threat.

"Eliot," the Grifter tried again, but this time she didn't dare to touch him.

"Are you alright?", she questioned, even though she really knew the answer already. Eliot's hand's gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white and his head snapped around, his expression a glare that made Sophie cower a little in her seat.

"Oh, so now you're suddenly concerned about me?" he questioned, before shaking his head wildly.

"But none of you thought to be concerned and talk to me before you signed me up to do this job. None of you even considered that I might have more issues with this part of the con than keeping my pride and dignity intact?" Eliot's voice had gotten harder and louder with each passing word and the whole team knew that he was fighting hard to keep his anger in check and none of them dared to say a word.

"No, you didn't think. You simply forced me to do this, even laughing about how hilarious it is, not even giving me a chance to say no until it was too late, because me saying no would risk innocent lives. You all knew that I'd say yes in that situation and that is why you didn't ask me before. Instead you simply conned me."

Now Eliot's voice was deadly calm, but Sophie, Nate, Hardison and Parker could hear the tremendous anger bubbling underneath the surface, barely kept in check.

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"Eliot," Nate decided to try this time.

"We didn't mean to..."

The Hitter simply interrupted him harshly: "Yes you did, Nate and that's what the problem is. I thought we had decided a while ago that you don't con your own team."

The Mastermind fell silent at Eliot's words, because, sadly enough they were the truth and he had no idea what to tell his lover to calm him down, especially because he was spot on with his accusations. They had crafted the plan like this on purpose, sending Eliot out to get some things they needed for the con so he would be distracted and they had decided to only tell him when it was too late for him to back out. Sure, they had known he'd be angry, but they had all thought that Eliot would grumble a little and not cook them dinner for two weeks and then things would be alright. The team really hadn't expected that raw anger.

.

And now, all things considered, Nate felt bad about it, but honestly, he'd thought that he knew his lover well enough to predict his reaction. Especially because Eliot had done way more ridiculous and embarrassing roles for the cons than this during his time with the team, so no, the team didn't really understand what his problem was.

"Come on, man, it's not that bad. I mean after what you've just shown in Marcheda's office, you'll be a star in that business in no time and people will love you and you sure as hell won't embarrass yourself like the rest, maybe except Parker, would have," Hardison chimed in. The Hacker was still almost painfully hard and his words were meant as a sincere compliment. But unfortunately they had the absolute opposite effect. Eliot's face closed off completely and his whole body tensed.

"That's just it. None of you gives a damn why I'm so good at this, none of you gives a damn that this might be a memory I never wanted to revisit again," he said, voice void of any emotion, even the anger from before gone, and his words were met with deafening silence and that was not only because the Hitter had taken out his earbud.

"I'll go, get some fresh air, maybe hit a gym. I'll be back later some time." He had already opened the car door halfway during his words and now he was out of the car in a second. He briskly walked away, leaving a stunned Sophie behind with Eliot's earbud in her closed hand.

The message behind Eliot's words and actions was loud and clear: "I want to be alone to deal with some stuff and you better not follow me."

.

"Sophie?"

It was Nate's voice that broke the silence again and the Grifter sighed deeply.

"I don't really know what went wrong here, Nate. But I'll come back to the hotel now," she told him, before adding sternly: "And you better think of something to make this right, Nate or I'll make you regret it," she scolded while starting the car after she had slipped behind the wheel.

"Already on it, Sophie. And Hardison, maybe you should try to dig around in Eliot's past a little. Maybe it will help us to understand what's going with him," Nate said warily and Sophie could almost see him running a hand through his unruly hair.

"Do you really think that that's a good idea?" Parker piped up for the first time, itching to follow her hitter, but for once she respected his unspoken request, because she knew all about bad memories that you needed to deal with alone. She usually went to steal something when that happened and she knew that Eliot would need a drink or a gym or both to get better, so the thief was prepared to give him all the time he needed.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea. But we can hardly make it worse and I really don't know what else to do and we really have no other option without vaporizing the whole con."

Unfortunately Nate was right and Hardison, no matter how reluctantly, started his quest for information, while the rest busied him – or herself with something else.

.

* * *

.

Eliot had no idea that the team was trying to dig into his past while he sat in a bar, nursing a beer. Sure, he knew that it was a bad idea to get drunk on a con, but right now he needed it or the long thought forgotten memories would overwhelm him and he'd drown in them and that wasn't an option. The alcohol numbed his mind and stopped the memories from resurfacing. He emptied the bottle while subconsciously rubbing a small scar on his left hip with his other hand. And he was about to signal the bartender for a new one, when a hand put another one in front of him.

Eliot raised an eyebrow and followed the arm attached to the hand until he reached the face of the man that had obviously bought him a drink. And the Hitter didn't even have to fake surprise to see Luca Marcheda sit on the stool next to him. That only showed how lost Eliot had been in his memories, because he hadn't even realized that the other man had been following him.

"Mr. Marcheda, what a surprise," he finally said, immediately slipping into his role as Liam. And for a moment he regretted that he had left his earbud with Sophie. That had been his only means of communication with the team since his trousers had been too tight to put his phone anywhere, so that device had been put into Sophie's purse during their visit to Marcheda's office. So for now Eliot was on his own.

But he hadn't thought that Marcheda might make a move this soon, so Eliot hadn't really been bothered that he couldn't contact the team, because that had also meant that they couldn't contact him. And he had wanted to be alone after all. Eliot swallowed lightly, wondering what to do now, because by the way Marcheda was smiling at him, Liam had seemed to have made quite an impression.

.

"Yes it is a surprise, but I hope it is a nice one, because you look like you could need some cheering up," Luca told him, voice smooth and deep. Eliot gave him a small smile, trying to figure out how to best play the con right now.

"Well, I'm really not in the best of moods. Miss Colridge and I had a little fight."

Eliot had learned that the best lie was one that was actually a truth, just fitted into a certain situation. Marcheda appeared to be concerned, but Eliot of course noticed the eager glint in his eyes.

"Oh, I hope it has nothing to do with me requesting a show earlier? I noticed that you really weren't prepared for it," Luca questioned. Eliot shook his head, trying to appear thoughtful.

"Well, yes and no. Miss Colridge should have told me that you were expecting a little show since it appears that you always want that. And she knew about it. I would have been better prepared if I had known." Again, it was a truth just bent a little to fit the story.

"Oh, that explains a lot, but don't worry, Liam. I enjoyed the show nonetheless and now I'm anxious to see what you can do when you've had time to prepare," Marcheda purred, suddenly directly beside Eliot, one hand in the nape of the Hitter's neck. And Eliot needed all of his considerable willpower to not flip Marcheda over his shoulder and then break his arm. Doing that wouldn't really help the con, so he merely tried to look uncomfortable, which wasn't too hard to do and hope that Marcheda got the message and would let go of him.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Marcheda. It's nice of you to give me that job, especially since Miss Colridge needs me out of the house soon, before her husband comes back from his months-long business trip. With the cash I got, I can hopefully afford my own place to live, no matter how small." Eliot tried to sound grateful and desperate at the same time and he seemed to have managed, because Marcheda's hand traveled from his neck to his shoulder, squeezing it in what was probably meant to be a sympathetic gesture.

.

"If you want, I can help you find a new apartment and if we don't find anything then you are welcome to use my guest room for as long as you need."

Eliot wanted to protest and that not only because Liam wouldn't want to impose on anyone, but also because he knew it wouldn't be good for the con to sound too eager. Well, maybe he might have to speed this up a little, but still... and he didn't even get to the protesting part, because Luca continued talking: "Before you say no, let me tell you that I do that for all my new dancers until they've settled in. I take care of my people."

If Eliot had been that naive young man he'd been years ago, he might have bought that Luca Marcheda only had good intentions and wanted to help. He gave the man a small smile and took a careful swig of the beer. It didn't taste different or weird, but Eliot knew of enough drugs one couldn't taste, but he also needed to show that he wasn't suspicious of anything. That little sip wouldn't render him helpless, even if it was drugged.

"That is a very generous offer, Mr. Marcheda and I might have to take you up on that at least for a few days," Eliot explained, knowing that this sounded grateful enough without committing to anything.

"Just call me if you need anything, Liam. I'd love to have you as my guest," Marcheda purred into his ear, his hand once again rubbing the back of Eliot's neck and suddenly Eliot felt a little prick where Marcheda's hand was and suddenly Eliot's whole world tilted to the side and he was dizzy all of a sudden.

"What?" he managed to get out, his voice slurred, tongue heavy. He had been so concentrated on selling the con and not drinking that beer, that he hadn't thought about the other ways to drug people. It was a rookie mistake and one that might cost Eliot dearly...

.

to be continued...


End file.
